Rivers are crucial
for human life. Their water is used in irrigation and for drinking, and they
maintain the moisture of the earth. Rivers have been contributing a lot to
transportation as well. Even till mid-19th century, people would take a ship or
boat if they were to go to Kolkata from Kanpur, Banaras or Patna. Perhaps this
is one of the reasons big cities are situated on the banks of rivers.

Ironically, today
the same cities have become a bane for the rivers. The population in these
cities is increasing exponentially. As a corollary, the cities are generating
large heaps of garbage and filth, which are dumped into the rivers through
sewers. Rivers have a system to purge themselves. When the filth crosses a
certain limit, the self-purification mechanism fails. Here begins the problem.
Today, a number of big rivers meandering along cities have become a sort of
sewage canal.

Recently, following
a rigorous research Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has
come out with a book titled Sewage Canal: How to Clean the Yamuna . The
book discusses government’s plan to clean 34 rivers, yet its focal point is
Yamuna. As much as 80 percent of the budget for the cleaning programme is
allocated for ten rivers, while only 12 percent is left for the rest 24.

The rivers getting
most of the budget pie are the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Adiyar, the Kum, the Moosi,
the Gomti, the Cauveri, the Satlaj, the Godawari, the Wagad and the Sabarmati.
The authors of the reports complain they were not able to fathom as to why these
rivers got preferential treatment from the government. Efforts to clean rivers
are being undertaken under National River Conservation Plan. Officials
associated with this plan claim that they have completed the "cleaning" of 34
out of the 160 rivers in 20 states. However, if we go and see those rivers, they
tell us a different tale. According to the report, terms like cleaning and
pollution are yet to be defined with clarity. We use river water in bathing,
washing clothes, and for cooking. Some of us utilise it in industries. Then, the
water reaches the river loaded with all the sludge. This is the way, we extract
water out of rivers and in return fill them with waste.

According to this
report the data about cleaning are also dubious. This is why the authors say
they cannot vouch for government’s tall claims about cleaning rivers until they
get the calculation about the water pumped out of them, and the waste sent to
them.

In 2005, Delhi Jal
Board (DJB) said the previous year 2,947.80 MLD sewage was produced in the city,
while according to the report of Central Pollution Control Board it was 3,684
MLD. The DJB estimated the quantity keeping in view the water supplied by it.
But the fact is a large number of people depend on water extracted from hand
pumps or tube wells, which was ignored by the DJB.

The estimation of
those who work out cleaning plans is exclusively based on the water supplied by
the government. They do not take note of the water available through private
means. In the course of the research, the CSE found that only half or a quarter
of the sewage is cleaned. At some places the cleaning machines are left idle.

The report says as
much as 40 percent of the cleaning budget is spent on Delhi, which has only five
percent of the target population. However, the Yamuna flowing past Delhi is
ailing. The book advocates giving a second thought to sewer management and water
treatment.g